The Secret of the Kelpie

This evocative re-telling of a folk tale from Scotland tells the story of the kelpie, the mythical beast who lives in the lochs and who can shape-shift into a white horse when on dry land and carry away unwary children for his supper!  The soft-focus, beautiful illustrations conjure up all the mystery inherent in folk tales and add greatly to the text.  Six children are playing by the loch near their home, when a beautiful white horse suddenly appears.  Five of the children are enchanted with the beast and climb on his back for a ride, but Flora, the youngest, holds back and feels there is something wrong.  It is only she who can save her brothers and sisters from their fate as the horse heads for the water, and they fear they will drown.  How she does so is part of the legend, and the children are saved from a dramatic death in a very dramatic way.  The beauty of the story is in the illustrations, which capture the situation vividly and will keep children enthralled – if, perhaps, a bit frightened too!